Banvit’s 13-0 fourth-quarter run lifts it over Rome

Banvit Bandirma recorded a 71-55 victory over Virtus Rome in the opening leg of their two-game total-points Eurocup Eighthfinals series on Wednesday. A 13-0 run to start the fourth quarter broke the balance, while defense made the difference in holding the visitors to just 4 points over the final 10 minutes. Sammy Mejia led the winners with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. He amassed a performance index rating of 33. E.J. Rowland added 13 points and 5 assists, Keith Simons contributed 11 points and 7 boards, while Chuck Davis scored 10. Melvin Ejim had 16 points for Rome and Ndudi Ebi posted 13 in defeat.

Maxime De Zeeuw of Rome tied the game at 11-11 before 9 unanswered points from the hosts capped by steal and dunk by Rowland gave them a 20-11 margin. Ebi scored from downtown and Jordan Morgan from mid-range to keep Rome on track after 10 minutes at 22-18. Lorenzo D’Ercole from downtown cut the difference to 24-21 early in the second quarter, but 6 points in a row drilled by Mejia made it 30-23. Ejim answered with 5 consecutive points to bring Rome within 2. Bobby Jones completed a 2-9 run that tied the score at 32-32. Can Maxim Mutaf and Simons hit three-pointers to set a 40-36 advantage for the home team at halftime.

Rowland from mid-range capped an 8-0 run that bridged halftime to for a 45-36 Banvit advantage. D’Ercole and Ebi provided consecutive baskets to cut the margin to 47-45 late in a quarter where defenses prevailed. Rok Stipcevic posted 4 free throws in a row and a jumper to put in front the visiting team at 49-51, but Vladimir Veremeenko from three-point range gave the lead to Banvit, 52-51 after three quarters. The home team broke the balance with a 13-0 run to open the final quarter, with five different players scoring to make it 65-51. Ejim tried to push his team, but Mejia from the free throw line and Rowland with a layup with 3 seconds left sealed the hosts’ victory.

Head Coaches

ERNAK, SELCUK

Banvit Bandirma

"First of all it is a long game and we just finished the first half. Next week we will play the second half. In the last quarter we did a great job defensively and we let them only score 4 points. We are making some changes these days and we did a great job. If we will play with same ambition and show same energy, I believe we will complete our job. "

DALMONTE, LUCA

Virtus Rome

"We made a great effort for 30 minutes on both sides. We controlled the offense and we at least did not let Banvit run the floor. In the fourth quarter we lost our energy because of our small rotation. We couldn’t rotate, especially for our ball handlers. And Banvit did great to increase the full court pressure. These two elements decided to result. But we also know that we finished only half the result. We have 40 more minutes in our home. We will try to use our chance in Rome to be aware of Banvit’s quality."